‘A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD’ DIRECTOR JOHN MOORE SET TO HELM

Los Angeles, CA (August 8, 2013) – Foresight Unlimited and Envision Entertainment, who previously collaborated on the current box office hit, 2 GUNS, produced by Marc Platt and Emmett/Furla and starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg, have come aboard to produce and finance THE ENGLISHMAN. Blockbuster director John Moore (A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, BEHIND ENEMY LINES) is attached to helm the film from a screenplay written by William Wisher (TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY). Foresight Unlimited will also be handling worldwide sales for the film.
Mark Damon will produce the $30M action film alongside James Gibb, Benedict Carver, Tim Peternel, and Moore.
THE ENGLISHMAN was developed by London-based Derby Street Films. Derby Street’s Nicola Horlick and Rachel Green are executive producing, together with Shaun Redick, Ray Mansfield, Ash Shah, Chris Hanley, Peter Veverka, and Foresight’s President, Tamara Birkemoe. Envision Entertainment’s Stepan Martirosyan, Vitaly Grigoriants, and Remington Chase will also be executive producers on the film.
Set to shoot in South Africa early next year, THE ENGLISHMAN is a true story based on the book “Once a Pilgrim” by Will Scully. It unfolds in real time as Scully, an ex-SAS officer turned mercenary, gets caught up in a military coup in Africa. Trapped in a hotel together with thousands of innocent civilians and completely surrounded by hostile rebels, he single-handedly takes on the enemy until he can get all the civilians safely evacuated.
THE ENGLISHMAN represents the fifth collaboration between Foresight and the Envision partners, Stepan Martirosyan, Vitaly Grigoriants, and Remington Chase. In addition to the upcoming LONE SURVIVOR, directed by Peter Berg, and also starring Mark Wahlberg, and set to release in December this year by Universal, they are preparing the upcoming SPINNING GOLD, starring Justin Timberlake, which is set to go early next year. The two companies have also just completed production on Castle Rock’s, AND SO IT GOES, helmed by Rob Reiner, and starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton.
“We are delighted to be teaming up with Derby Street Films to bring this amazing true story based on Will Scully’s book to a worldwide movie audience,” commented both Damon and Martirosyan.
“THE ENGLISHMAN is one of those rare stories, the details and circumstance of which are so bizarre and mesmerizing, it created a compulsion in us to tell it,” said Moore. “Bill Wisher and I are delighted to be in business with Derby Street and Foresight on this film: they see what we see, they want the movie to be all it can be.”
“Will Scully’s story is extraordinary and it’s very exciting to have John Moore on board as director,” said Horlick. “This is exactly the type of commercial movie that Derby Street Films plans to keep developing for the big screen.”
Moore made his directorial debut with 20th Century Fox’s action adventure BEHIND ENEMY LINES, starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman. He continued to collaborate with the studio on films that include THE OMEN, MAX PAYNE and A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD, which earned over $300 million worldwide.
Wisher has collaborated frequently with Moore. His credits include: TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY, JUDGE DREDD, EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING and DOMINION: PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST.
With casting underway, Tricia Wood is onboard as the casting agent for the film.
Redick and Mansfield negotiated on behalf of Derby Street Films. Moore is repped by Paradigm.
ENVISION ENTERTAINMENT
Envision Entertainment is among the most active investors in film today, having financed 12 films over the past 18 months, including 2 Guns, Lone Survivor, Broken City, And So It Goes, and Escape Plan, directed by Mikael Hafstrom, starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and being released by Lionsgate on October 18th, 2013. They are also the financiers of the upcoming Spinning Gold, starring Justin Timberlake. Over the past 18 months, Envision has invested approximately $87M in 12 films. The three partners in Envision are Stepan Martirosyan, Vitaly Grigoriants, and Remington Chase.
FORESIGHT UNLIMITED
Foresight Unlimited is one of the industry’s leading independent film production, sales, and distribution companies, having provided over $70M in funding to independent films over the past 12 months. With a pioneering entertainment career spanning over 50 years, CEO Mark Damon, is considered to be one of the leading authorities on international film financing, distribution and marketing strategies as well as being a successful independent producer.
The company’s management group is helmed by President Tamara Birkemoe who oversees all aspects of the company’s international distribution slate that currently includes the big budget action thrillers 2 Guns starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington and Lone Survivor directed by Peter Berg and also starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana, both set for wide theatrical release through Universal Pictures in 2013, and Rob Reiner’s comedy And So It Goes starring Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton.
Damon has produced and distributed such notable films as: Academy Award ® winner Monster, Academy Award ® nominee Das Boot, 9 1/2 Weeks, Once Upon A Time In America, The Never Ending Story, Never Say Never Again and Lost Boys.
DERBY STREET FILMS
Nicola Horlick launched Derby Street Films in 2011 with the aim of filling a void in the independent market by undertaking film development. To date, Derby Street has developed over a dozen projects. Derby Street looks for projects with a clear strategy from development to production – ideally, slightly later-stage projects with production potentially starting within 12-18 months and strong creative attachments.